This is my second story, "Carpe" by Mrs. Warrior. Thanks for the work on "Table 15". Mrs. Warrior Carpe by Mrs. Warrior Category: Mulder Torture/Angst, Mulder/Scully Friendship, a little UST Spoilers: Terma/Tunguska Disclaimer: Thank you Chris Carter and 1013 Productions for creating the X-Files, and giving me something to do while my husband finishes his residency. Mulder and Scully et al belong to Chris, 1013 and the folks at Fox. I am only borrowing and enjoyi ng the ride (and there is no money involved). No infringement on 'da man" or his characters is intended. Summary: Mulder is held hostage. Archive: Sure, just make sure my name is still attached. Thanks to Poopyhead and Karin...It's been fun! This one is for you (and me too, of course!) This is story numero dos. Comments can go to vtwarrior@worldnet.att.net. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FBI Headquarters Washington, DC Room 47 Friday, 8:36am Wanda sat tapping her pen impatiently, waiting waiting waiting for the darned lecture to get underway . She looked out the doorway, wondering if a nybody interesting would be attending 'Countering Terrorism: Procedures for J Edgar Hoover Building Staff in the Event of a Hostage Situation." She looked up as several well-dressed men entered the room. They were dressed in traditional conservative FBI suits, and certainly looked capable of keeping her cooped up for an entire day. 'Welcome ", said one, with a slight, unidentifieable accent, who now that she noticed, was sporting a very non-regulation ponytail, 'I hope you're all looking forward to today's lecture." The other two men, one a slightly balding blond, and one who looked as if part of his left ear had been burned off, took up positions behind the podium. The door opened and as Wanda turned around to see who was so late in arriving, she met the gaze of a tall, lanky man, who managed to look properly sheepish for being late, and shoot her a mildly flirtatious glance, all at the same time. His hand pushed b ack a stray strand of hair, which promptly returned to its original position just over his right eyebrow, and he smiled briefly at her. Wanda glanced around for his red haired partner, but didn't see her anywhere. Special Agent Fox Mulder quietly slipped into a seat in the rear of the room and pretended fascination with what Ponytail had to say. She glanced over at him, wondering what an actual agent was doing at this lecture, since it was geared specifically for the non-agent staff of the building. Whatever the reason, she was certain her day was about to become much more interesting now that ' Spooky" Mulder had arrived. (Roll Opening Credits) ------------------------------------- FBI Headquarters The Office Friday, 8:45am Special Agent Dana Scully glanced at her watch one more time and decided to call Skinner. 'Sir, this is Agent Scully." 'Yes, Agent, what can I do for you?", came the cool voice of Assistant Director Walter Skinner on the other end of the line. 'Do you have any idea where Agent Mulder is this morning, sir?" 'I sent him home." 'Home, sir?" Scully asked, more amazed that Mulder might actually have obeyed the order than at the order itself. 'Yes, Scully, I told him that it was too soon to return to work after everything he went through in Tunguska, and that he should get some rest and report back on Monday." 'Did he actually go home, sir?" Skinner stifled a smile. He heard the blatant disbelief in Scully's voice and, to be honest, he was surprised himself with how easy it had been to convince Mulder to take some time off. Walter Skinner was willing to put up with quite a lot from these tw o particular Agents. They had, over the years, maintained consistently high solve ratios and thereby managed to earn his respect. He also admired the way they looked out for each other, and marginally softened his tone as he answered 'It was an order, S cully, I sure hope so." There were limits, after all. 'Thank you, sir. I will contact him at home then," Scully hung up the phone feeling a little foolish. She felt a small touch of the same panic she had felt during those long court sessions, not knowing where he was or when she'd ever see him again. Even as she dialed Mulder's home number though, she was unable to shake a nagging doubt. After several rings she hung up, convinced that Mulder had not gone home as ordered, and was probably out working on a case somewhere. ---------------------------------------- FBI Headquarters Room 47 Friday, 9:00am Mulder fought to keep his eyes open as Ponytail-man droned on about hostage situations. He had actually intended to follow orders this time, but while searching for Scully, to let her know he was going home, he somehow found himself wandering into this lecture for the building staff. The only redeeming feature of the lecture, which he was now kicking himself for walking in to, was the raven haired secretary seated just in front of him. She actually bore a striking resemblance to one of the women in the video he had rented last night, in the futile hope that it would help him sleep. As he prepared to shut his eyes and review some of the better moments from the video, something in his peripheral vision caused him to sit up and take notice. While Ponytail continued his long winded discourse, his compatriots had slowly shifted their positions around the room. Where they had been standing quietly behind the podium, they were now in position to cover all the entrances and exits. Mulder shook his head and rubbed at his eyes, trying to ease his suspicions, but his intuition refused to let him relax. He considered getting up and leaving but, pushing his hand thro ugh his hair with a wry smile, he resigned himself to sitting through the rest of the lecture. ------------------------------------ Arlington, VA Friday, 9:18am Scully pounded on the door to Apartment 42, getting no answer. She had not honestly expected one. She took out her key and opened the door to Mulder's apartment, noticing as she entered the remains of last night's Chinese take-out, and a very interestin g-looking (even for Mulder) video box on the coffee table. She knew he had been home last night, they had spoken at around 11pm. She called to find out how he was adjusting to being back in civilization and, if she admitted the truth, to reassure herself that he was back. He tried to joke her worries away and c laimed to be fine, except for the usual trouble sleeping. Scully smacked herself on the forehead and reached inside her suit jacket to grab her cell phone. Punching her speed dial she waited impatiently as the phone rang. 'Mulder," he said, unusually quiet, as if he was trying to hide the fact that he was on the phone. 'Mulder, it's me. Where on earth are you? Skinner said he sent you home but I just checked out your apartment and you are definitely not here, although I can see that your taste in movies is getting more interesting all the time," Scully chuckled, know ing her partner was a little embarrassed by his 'hobby", and enjoying teasing him about it. 'Not now Scully, I'm in the middle of a lecture and something strange is going on," he whispered. 'Of course," she teased back, 'you're there aren't you?" She was more relieved than she wanted to admit to have found him, but careful to keep her emotions out of her voice 'No, Scully, I mean it. These guys are definitely not regulation. I'm going to stick around a while longer and try to figure out what's going on." 'Mulder wait..." Scully said to the dial tone. Mulder put his cell phone away and tried once again to look inconspicuous. Ponytail seemed to wrapping it up, maybe his imagination was running away with him. He glanced over at Baldy and Earless, still in position in front of the doors, and tried to sh ake his feeling of unease. End Part 1 ------------------------------------- Carpe - Part 2 FBI Headquarters Room 47 10:12am 'And I want to thank you all for coming here today," Ponytail was saying, 'especially since it gives us this great opportunity to practice..." With that Ponytail pulled out a pistol and trained it on the audience, as his accomplices began to assemble the automatics concealed in their briefcases. 'Everyone stay calm, we don't want to hurt anyone." Baldy and Earless trained their rifles on the group and began to motion for everyone to gather in the middle of the room, well away from the doors. 'Let's go people, we don't have all day," said Baldy, waving the weapon. Several of the women screamed and began to act hysterical, whereupon they were roughly backhanded and commanded to be silent. Wanda looked behind her and saw Mulder shake his head, very slightly. She turned back around and followed Ponytail's instructio ns to move to the center of the room. Earless patted her down and and then forced her to sit on the floor with the others. Wanda watched as Baldy approached Mulder and gestured for him to get out of his seat. Baldy began the frisk. In an instant he found Mulder's gun and his badge. 'Hey guys, look, it looks like we caught a real live FBI Agent, here." Ponytail stalked over to Mulder and said menacingly, 'What are you doing here Agent...Fox Mulder?", he said, glancing at the ID Baldy held in his hand, 'Mulder?! Now you wouldn't be that same Fox Mulder who took a little trip recently, to Russia, wouldya ?" Mulder eyes widened and he fought desparately to keep the fear from showing on his face, 'I just came in to flirt with the secretaries, guys. But if I'm cramping your style, I'll just be on my way..." 'No way, Mulder, we were actually hoping to "run into' you here, in fact that's why we picked this building. What luck that you actually came to join our little class," Ponytail chuckled with obvious glee at the thought of having Agent Mulder as a hostag e . Raising the rifle over his head, Baldy leveled a brutal swing at the back of Mulder's head, as he was turning towards the door. With a sickening crunch the blow connected, dropping Mulder instantly, as blood began to seep from the side of his head. 'How 's that for red-carpet treatment, Mulder?" Ponytail gloated over his prize prisoner. Wanda got up and started over to the fallen Agent. She had not gone far when she was met by the barrel of a high powered automatic. 'Get back on the floor," Baldy growled. The young woman defiantly continued her trek towards the injured Mulder, and Bal dy, completely losing control at this disobedience, fired a short burst into her midsection. With a spray of blood, she fell to the floor, as most of the other captives began screaming hysterically. 'QUIET!!!" roared Ponytail, 'The next one to make a sound DIES! And YOU," he screamed at his compatriot, 'knock it off!! All this noise is going to have this hall swarming with Feds!" The room became eerily silent until another woman, Karin Napier, gathered her courage enough whisper, 'What do you want?" The gun in Ponytail's hand swung to cover her as he began to laugh maniacally, 'We want the FBI to free our comrades, of course, isn't that what every good terrorist wants?" Softly, calmly, Karin spoke, 'They'll be more willing to deal if you let me call for medical assistance." In the act of squeezing the trigger, Ponytail stopped and seemed to be considering her words, 'Nahh...," he said and fired at Karin, dropping her instantly. He was obviously less concerned about noise than he seemed. Ponytail quickly grew serious as the young woman slumped to the floor, 'You'll find I always follow through on my threats," he stated soberly to the group of hostages, 'Do not make the mistake of testing me again." The hostages huddled on the floor, silent and terrified. Just then a groan escaped from Mulder, as he began to regain consciousness, 'Oooohhhhh Shit." Mulder lay on the floor with the other prisoners, as blood trickled down his face from his wound. Gentle probing revealed a scalp laceration and a large lump on the side of his head but, as far as he could tell, no skull fra cture. None of which changed the fact that it felt like the entire Russian Army was marching on his skull, and it was only by sheer force of will that his breakfast was remaining in his stomach, for the time being at least. As he looked around, to get his bearings, moving his head slowly, in order to keep his vision from swimming out of focus, he abruptly noticed the bodies on the far side on the room. Mulder realized with dismay that one of them was the pretty secretary he had been halfheartedly flirting with earlier that morning. The sheer brutality of their captors put him on notice that they were serious, very serious. He could only hope that the two women were still alive. All three of the automatic weapons swung to cover Mulder, who was struggling to sit up. With one hand pressed to the back of his head in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding, he used the other to push himself upright, pausing a moment to allow the room to stop its dizzying spin. Mulder quickly assessed the situation, knowing that the two women, who he could see now were alive, if barely, would be dead very soon without emergency medical treatment. 'Y'know," said Mulder thoughtfully, 'I just might be able to help you guys out here, since I am an FBI Agent and all." 'SHUT-UP PRETTYBOY!" shouted Baldy, obviously on the edge of losing control again. 'Wait a minute, wait a minute," soothed Earless, 'He may be right. These guys are trained to negotiate and, unless I miss my guess, that means they're trained to give us what we want. Isn't that right, gorgeous?" Earless aimed his steel toed boot at Mul der's ribcage and let loose a punishing blow, dropping the Agent back to the floor. He pulled back his foot and asked again, louder this time 'Isn't that right !?" Mulder, his arms wrapped protectively around his now cracked and broken ribs, managed a groan that could have been interpreted as positive, and then succumbed to a coughing fit. Earless kicked him one more time, for good measure, and then turned to his companions, raising his voice so as to be heard over Mulder's coughing and gagging, 'I say we let him "negotiate' and get us out of here. We can always take him with us or kill hi m in the end, either way, our comrades would be satisfied. These two," he said with a gesture to the injured women, 'are useless to us anyway. Why don't we let him call for help. At the very least we get more hostages that way." Ponytail mulled this over and finally came to a decision. He strode arrogantly over to the conference room phone and dialed 911. Holding the phone to Mulder's mouth with one hand, he slipped the other arm around Mulder's neck so that the barrel of his p istol pointed right into the injured Agent's face. 'You know what to say," he growled, 'and what NOT to say." In a strained whisper, Mulder told the EMS operator that there were two injured women in Room 47 of the J Edgar Hoover FBI Building. 'I'm sending paramedics, sir, can you tell me how the victims were injured?" 'They were shot by..." Mulder gasped and doubled over as Earless put his boot to use once again. 'Naughty, naughty, Foxy," Ponytail sang in his ear as Mulder fought to stay conscious. With a small moan he gave up, and slipped into darkness once again. ------------------------------------- FBI Headquarters The Office 11:57am Scully sat at 'their" desk reading over the file from the Tunguska episode. Mulder had been reluctant to discuss his experiences in Russia, and she was hoping to find out more about what had happened to him. He had returned to the USA thin and tired loo king, but that wasn't what worried her. From the way he had hugged her in the courtroom, so tight she almost couldn't breathe, she knew he had been through something that terrified him. Add his whispered comment about "being able to put both arms around her', and Scully was extremely worried about her partner. Although a medical exam had revealed nothing more than a small injection scar on his left arm and the obvious malnutrition and dehydration, she was sure that more went on during his captivity tha n he was letting on. After everything they had seen and done together, she couldn't imagine what could have happened to her partner to scare him that much. The file told her very little however, and she resolved to try and get Mulder to tell her himsel f what had really happened. As she straightened and removed her glasses, Scully glanced at the clock, noting that it was time for lunch. Knowing that FBI Seminars almost always broke on the stroke of 12pm, she debated calling Mulder again and asking him to lunch. On the verge of p icking up the phone, Scully decided to take a walk over towards the meeting rooms and see if she could catch him on his way out. The phone rang 'Scully," she answered. 'Agent Scully," the voice of AD Skinner sounded more than a little annoyed, 'Have you been in contact with Agent Mulder this morning?" While Scully never liked to lie, years of covering for Mulder had made her skilled at dissembling, 'Not recently, Sir. I did try to contact him at home this morning but there was no answer, and I figured he was out running or something. I was very busy the rest of the morning and..." Skinner listened to her drift off and seethed inside. He had no doubt that Agent Scully was covering for her wayward partner (again) but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was amiss. 'When you speak to your partner, Agent, you tell him to contact me ASAP. Do I make myself clear?" 'Yes Sir," she answered, wondering what Mulder had done this time. She was fairly sure Skinner didn't know about the seminar, since she wasn't sure which one it was herself. She shrugged Just as Skinner was replacing the receiver in it's cradle the phone rang, shattering his thoughts on the whereabouts of the elusive Agent Mulder. 'Skinner", he listened quietly for a moment and then began barking orders, 'Get their list of demands, find o ut everything you can about their organization and meet me outside Room 47 with a bomb squad and a swat team." Skinner slammed the phone down and raced from his office He hastily dialed Mulder and Scully's office, but the phone rang, unanswered. He hung up angrily and bolted from the room. -------------------------------------- J Edgar Hoover Building Room 47 11:59pm The sharp click, click of Agent Scully's heels echoed in the deserted hallway as she walked down the wing that contained the meeting and conference rooms, intending to spy out which seminar her wayward partner had crashed. She thought things were a littl e too quiet, but that silence was soon shattered by the arrival of Skinner and the counter-terrorism team. Scully folded her arms across her chest and waited for the Assistant Director to explain what was going on. 'We have a hostage situation, Agent Scully, and there have been reports of shots fired. We have evacuated all other conference rooms and are waiting for a list of demands. They have agreed to let us treat the injured but we have very little information to go on. We don't even know how many hostages there are." 'Sir, there's a very good chance that Agent Mulder may be in there!" 'What do you mean, Agent?" said Skinner, shaking his head . 'I have been unable to asertain Agent Mulder's whereabouts, however in a brief conversation we had earlier this morning he mentioned being in a seminar and he voiced some suspicions. Please let me help. Let me go in with the paramedics." 'That's not necessary, Agent, we have the situation under control." Skinner didn't even want to consider the effect it would have on Mulder if he knowingly sent Scully into a hostage situation. He had seen those hazel eyes blaze, and although he was cer tainly not afraid of the impulsive Agent under him, he though it best not to push his luck. The paramedics looked up and the taller one looked the diminutive Agent up and down appreciatively, he had always liked small women. 'No ma'am," he drawled, 'You don't want to go in there, we think someone may have been shot, it could be messy..." He tra iled off still looking at her boldly, as Skinner hid a smile behind his hand. The EMT obviously had no idea who he was dealing with. 'I'm a medical doctor, I think I can handle myself," Scully said icily, hands on her hips, her blue glare daring the EMT to continue eying her. He dropped his gaze and smiled to himself, he liked "em feisty too. That said, Scully turned to Skinner, 'I'm ready, Sir." Skinner knew better than to argue with "that look' and directed his team to wire Agent Scully and equip her with a bullet proof vest. End Part 2 ------------------------------------- Carpe - Part 3 FBI Headquarters Room 47 12:00pm Someone knocked on the door. 'That must be the doctors," said Earless softly. He pointed to one of the women on the floor, 'You, answer the door, and remember, I'm right behind you," he whispered as he took up a position behind the young women, with the rifle firmly placed against h er back. Mulder awakened for the second time that day to see his worst nightmare coming true (again), as Scully walked boldly into Room 47, trailing two EMTs behind her. Scully stopped short as she noticed the gun trained on the young secretary. Taking in the sight of her partner, on the floor, her right eyebrow arched and she turned slowly to face the gunman, 'Am I to assume you called for medical assistance because som eone had been shot?" Scully managed to keep her voice steady, so as not to betray her shock and surprise, but inside she seethed with fear and anger Earless brought the gun to bear on Scully as his companions covered the EMTs. 'Who the hell are you?" 'My name is Dana Scully. I'm a Medical Doctor, and I'm just here to help," she said soothingly as she moved towards the victims. With her back to the terrorists, she looked a question at Mulder, which he answered with a barely noticeable shake of his he ad. Scully ignored her obviously injured partner, although every instinct told her to go to him, and concentrated on Wanda and Karin. As the EMTs knelt beside Scully to begin first aid, Ponytail hovered just behind them. 'We only let you in cuz our old friend Mulder, here," he growled menacingly, 'said we could get what we wanted by negotiating." 'So what it is y'all want?" drawled the tall young medic, trying to stay between Scully and the business ends of the automatics. As he bent to begin first aid on Wanda, who was clearly the more seriously injured of the two, Earless stepped up 'Uh Uh Uh, we have to make sure you aren't hiding any nasty surprises. Cooperate or we'll have to teach you some manners, like we did to our fresh faced young FBI Agent over here." The reasonable words were belied by his actions as he jammed the barrel of his gun i nto Mulder's already tender midsection. Scully stood up quickly, instinctively wanting to rescue her partner from his tormenters, but, catching a glimpse of hazel eyes over the rifle barrel, she knew, when Mulder very deliberately looked away, that he was trying to hide the fact that they knew each other. --------------------------------------- Mulder kept his face expressionless as the terrorists began to frisk the EMTs. When they got to Scully it was harder to seem uninterested, but he knew that if he allowed his captors to discover that the pretty red-haired doctor was also his partner, they would use her to get to him. And he didn't trust himself to follow FBI protocol when it came to Scully's life. As Earless found Scully's flak jacket and made her remove it, his heart sank . Earless noticed the look on Mulder's face as the tiny doctor removed her vest. 'Hey Prettyboy, whatsamatter, worried about our doctor? What is she, your girlfriend or somethin'?" 'No," Mulder said, shifting his gaze away from Scully, 'I just don't want to see anyone else get hurt." 'Well, I think you're a little too interested in her. Makes me think she might be FBI too, maybe trying to break you outta here." Earless was watching Scully closely and noticed as her eyes widened when he mentioned the FBI. He shifted his scrutiny to Mulder and said, 'What if I cuff your little friend here real tight and let my buddy there play with her a bit? He won't hurt her...much." Only a blind man would have missed the murderous rage that shadowed Mulder's features at that moment, as he struggled to get to his feet. He was ruthlessly pushed back to the floor and handcuffed by Baldy, while Earless continued, 'Oho!! I do believe Mr. Mulder cares what happens to our pretty doctor. Tell me Mulder, who is she? And if you don't tell me, we'll ask Dr. Scully, and if she won't tell us, we may have to remove some body parts. Nothing critical at first, of course, maybe just a finger or two." Mulder's head hung, as wished for the thousandth time that day that he was anywhere but in Room 47. 'She's just someone I work with," he whispered, hoping that would satisfy them and they wouldn't probe any further. 'Hmmmmm....." Earless considered this information. 'I bet that means that Miss Dana Scully is FBI too. Let's find out shall we." He was joined by Baldy at Scully's side as he grabbed her chin in a crushing grip and forced her to meet his eyes. 'Well, is our buddy Mulder right? Are you FBI too?" Scully twisted savagely, trying to free herself from Earless' grip but Baldy soon grabbed her around the torso and pinned her arms to her side. He quickly cuffed her and stepped away before her kick could land in his groin. 'Naughty, naughty," breathed E arless, as he forced her around to look at Mulder, lying on the floor. 'Let's answer the question, shall we. Are you FBI?" 'I'm a Medical Doctor and my only concern right now is making sure these women make it out of here alive," Scully spat through her teeth. 'I don't think I made myself clear," Earless stated with quiet emphasis, as he carefully aimed his gun at Mulder's head, 'If you cannot answer the question, you'll have three patients Dr. Scully." Scully knew he was serious, and however much she wished to conceal her position at the FBI, she knew she could not risk Mulder's life, 'Yes." It came out softly, like a confession. 'And do you work with Prettyboy?" 'Occasionally." 'From the expression on his face, I'd say more than "occasionally'. Now tell the truth or we may have to get nasty." Knowing that identifying herself as Mulder's partner would sign his death warrant, and probably her own as well, Scully kept silent. Earless, making good on his threat, took ahold of Scully's index finger and began to bend it back, a little at a time, in full view of Mulder. Scully kept her eyes fastened on Mulder's and tried to tell herself that a dislocated finger was certainly worth his life . As Mulder watched, fine beads of sweat broke out on his partner's brow and her face abruptly turned pale. He knew Scully would berate him for it, but he couldn't stand to see her tortured like this. 'STOP! Just stop, I'll tell you the truth." He could feel Scully's eyes blazing at him from across the room, she never liked it when he tried to protect her. Now Baldy returned to Mulder's side and, grabbing a handful of brown hair, jerked him to his feet. Dragging him over to where Earless stood with Scully, he whispered in Mulder's ear, 'She looks mighty good, I just may have to ask the boss if I can have s ome of that." Baldy was able to dodge the head butt Mulder threw at him, barely. Ponytail, who had been watching the entire exchange with acute interest, now waved his gun at Mulder, 'Spill it FBI, and quickly, or we shoot the doctor." Mulder, his eyes betraying everything he felt, whispered, 'Agent Scully is my partner." ------------------------------------- FBI Headquarters Outside Room 47 12:17pm Skinner listened closely to what was happening in the other room through the audio feed hidden in Scully's jacket. He knew as well as anyone that FBI protocols went out the window, when it came to Mulder pro tecting Scully, and the same was true of her. He also knew he had very little time. When the terrorists removed the jacket and the audio faded out, just after Mulder said he didn't want anyone else to get hurt, he felt a moment of panic, which he quickl y squelched by barking orders,"Get them on the phone, now! Let's find out what they want and get those people out of danger." Although he made no mention of it, everyone in the hallway was aware that having Mulder and Scully held hostage made AD Skinner a very dangerous man, indeed. A uniformed SWAT team officer handed Skinner the mobile phone. 'Skinner," he said, 'Who's this?" 'This is your worst nightmare Mr. FBI Man. We not only have 23 of your building staff, two of whom are seriously wounded, but, thanks to your stupidity, we now have two EMTs and not one, but two, FBI agents. What do you think of that?" 'What do you want. We don't want anyone else to get hurt." 'Everyone seems very interested in what we want. Well, I'll tell you....we want to blow up this building. We have friends in Tunguska who are very upset with your boy Mulder, here, and we planned for him to die, along with a lot of other FBI Agents, whe n we bombed this building. Isn't it lucky for us he wandered into our seminar? Now we can be sure the job is done right! We have several explosive devices in this room, enough to take out an entire block, and we will detonate them...unless..." 'Unless what," Skinner spat, quickly losing patience for this game. 'Unless you can convince your government to release those Russian nationals they are currently holding for questioning. We're sure you'd like to know about our facility in Tunguska but we'd really rather keep it a secret, for now." 'That will take time." 'Ha ha ha," Ponytail laughed, with genuine amusement. 'I know the routine FBI man, Keep me talking, Honesty, Conciliation, Containment, Resolution. Isn't that what the Offical FBI Handbook says? You have one hour and then I begin killing hostages. I think I may start with this little doctor you sent me, who we have discovered also just so happens to be Mulder's partner, how convenient for us." The line went dead in Skinner's hand and he hung up swearing, 'Dammit, how did he find out Scully was Mulder's partner?" he whispered under his breath. But he knew the answer...in the face of torture, either Agent would break to save the other, even mor e so than to save themselves. Although loathe to admit it to himself, he had a soft spot for the enigmatic Dr. Scully. More than that, however, he was genuinely worried about what Mulder would do, having seen his temper flare on more than one occasion w hen his partner was in danger . Skinner barked at the SWAT officer, 'Find out just who it is we're holding for "questioning' and notify the state department that we have a situation here." 'Yes, Sir!", the officer saluted as he moved off. Skinner seethed inside, although, to those in the hallway he looked perfectly calm. 'The state department on the line, Sir," the Swat team leader announced a few minutes later. 'Skinner. Yes....two of my Agents as well....yes....we have not been able to acquire a video feed inside the room and our audio feed has been compromised..yessir....we think there are several wounded....no, I don't think so, they seem to know every tric k in the book...yessir one hour." Skinner hung up looking defeated, there wasn't much the state department could tell him other than that they would 'look into the situation." He was ordered to continue negotiations and try to keep them on the phone long enough for a voice ID scan. ------------------------------------ FBI Headquarters Room 47 12:47pm Mulder and Scully lay on the floor with the other hostages. While Earless seemed to devote most of his time to thinking up new and different ways to torture Mulder, his partner, Baldy, was clearly interested in Agent Scully, in a very unhealthy way. Dec iding something, Baldy ambled over to Ponytail, 'Hey Boss, can't I play with the red-head, just a little?" he asked sotto voce. Of course, this didn't keep Mulder from hearing, and at that moment the force of Mulder's glare should have caused him to drop dead on the spot. 'Heh, heh, look at Mr. FBI Man, he doesn't like it when I talk about his partner that way," Baldy taunted. Mulder just glared. 'What if I were to do this," he ran a hand up Scully's leg, 'or this," he started to unbutton her shirt, 'or this," he licked her face, clearly enjoying the fact that Mulder was furious. Mulder thrashed against his cuffs, trying to get to the animal who was doing these things to his partner. His reward for this chivalrous behavior was Earless' boot on his neck, 'Careful, gorgeous, I wouldn't want to have to hurt you again." With that Ea rless began to put weight on the boot cutting off Mulder's air. Mulder continued to thrash until he slumped unconscious yet again. Scully was anguished at having to see Mulder treated like this. All she could do was gaze at him and try to send him her strength. Ponytail chose that moment to reassert his authority, 'No! Let's just keep everything under control here until we get what we want. If any of them, particularly the feds, are "damaged' we lose bargaining power. I'm sure the higher-ups want them all ret urned in good condition." 'Good condition may not be an option for these two women, unless you let us take them out of here to a hospital," one of the EMTs spoke up. 'No!" screamed Baldy, bringing his gun to bear. Ever the voice of reason, Earless spoke up, 'If we deal, they'll probably deal, and remember, we do need to deal since these are all we have." He gestured with his rifle and gave Ponytail a significant look. Just then the conference room phone rang. Ponytail answered, 'Yeah" 'We're working on freeing your comrades, can we get the wounded to a hospital?" came Skinner's calm collected voice on the other end of the line. 'We will move them to the door, and you can come get them," answered Ponytail. 'What about the two Agents?" 'Can you have them or are they wounded? What is it you want to know?" laughed Ponytail maniacally. 'Forget it!" he growled, serious once more. 'They're staying with us, maybe permanently." ---------------------------------------- Skinner slammed down the phone with an oath, 'Where the hell is my video? I need to see what's going on in there!" he barked to the team in the hallway. 'We're working on it, Sir, but FBI Conference Rooms are not made easy to surveil." All work stopped as they heard a rap on the door to Room 47. Skinner approached, flanked by several members of the SWAT team, and the door slowly opened, just enough for him to see the bodies of the two young women shot by the terrorists. The medical te am pulled them out of the room and began assessing their condition. One of them looked at Skinner and shook his head, clearly not optimistic. 'All right, people, let's get them out of there," said the Assistant Director, with authority, but not hope, in his voice. End Part 3 ---------------------------------------- Carpe - Part 4 FBI Headquarters 1:13pm Mulder shifted, sucking in his breath as the movement jarred his broken ribs. He positioned himself so that he could hold a whispered discussion with Scully while their captors were distracted by covering the door as the wounded were removed. 'Mulder are you OK?" asked Scully, hearing the painful grunt as he moved. Her blue eyes showed worry and concern for her partner. 'Well, I may not be up for a game of one-on-one, but I'll live," he whispered back, trying to reassure Scully with a smile. It came out more of a wince as another prisoner brushed against his back, jarring his lanky frame. 'Mulder, we have to try to get out of here, these men may very well kill you." 'I know, Scully, but I'm not exactly in the best shape for an escape attempt." Ponytail, finally noticing their whispered conversation, strutted over to where they were lying on the floor, heads together, red hair mingled with brown, and, very deliberately, placed his boot on Scully's bright hair, trapping her head, as she tried to move away. 'What's going on here kids? Are you being bad boys and girls? I don't recall anyone giving you permission to talk to each other." Scully winced with the pain, and her face paled. 'Stop it! Stop hurting her and I'll do whatever you want," Mulder pleaded. Inwardly berating himself for getting his partner into this situation in the first place, he decided at that moment to do everything within his power to get her safely out of th is. His own safety was secondary. 'Hmmmm, whatever I want? What if I want you dead, Prettyboy, for what you did in Russia? Do you know you almost singlehandedly shut down our operation over there. We can't afford to let you run around loose, now can we?" Mulder's pale complexion white ned even further at the mention of the camp where he had been held for so long. Ponytail then lifted his boot off of Scully's hair and brought it down hard on Mulder's cuffed hands. Everyone in the room heard the sound of bones breaking, and Mulder's jaw tightened with the effort of trying not to scream. Scully noticed how frighten ed he looked and her heart turned over. It hurt her to see him like this, she had to help, somehow. Scully spoke up, 'Don't listen to him Mulder, he's just trying to scare you. Look at me, Mulder," she commanded. Slowly, his agonized eyes lifted and met hers. He looked at her, not daring to look away, as if Scully was his lifeline. He tried weakly to grin at her, to let her know how much he appreciated what she was doing for him, but he hurt so much. Scully foc used on Mulder, trying as hard as she could to send him strength and hope --------------------------------------- 'We have video, Sir." 'Good work, Agent. Let me get a look at what's going on in there." Skinner moved towards the small video screen held by one of the agents. He saw two of the terrorists and a knot of prisoners on the floor. Scully's red hair was fairly easy to pick out and knowing these two Agents as he did, he knew he had only to follow her line of sight and....there was Mulder, in obvious pain but, for the moment not in any life-threatening danger. 'There's less chance of anyone getting killed, if we can keep them t alking, get the leader back on the phone." 'Yessir.....He's on the line now, Sir." 'Have you freed my comrades, or do I start shooting hostages?" asked Ponytail reasonably. 'We are working on it. The state department will be more willing to deal if you release some of your hostages." 'No dice, no one leaves until we get what we want." Skinner noticed slight movement in the background as Agent Scully shifted position, and reached for some way to keep the attention of the terrorists for a little while longer, 'Why don't you give me the names of all of your comrades, so we can make sure t hat everyone is accounted for?" As Ponytail began to rattle off names, his two companions hurried over to the phone to make sure that all of their comrades were mentioned. ----------------------------------------- Scully noticed the shift in attention away from the prisoners, and set to work. She worked her hands out of the cuffs and silently shifted closer to Mulder. Seeing that her hands were now free, a shadow of his usual lopsided grin played across Mulder's features, 'Why, Agent Scully, I had no idea you were so talented," he breathed, unable to resist. 'Shhhh...it's just a trick Bill taught me when we were kids. Now, we need to be prepared if and when Skinner and the SWAT team come through. Can you sit up?" Scully pushed the dark hair back from his forehead and ran her hands down Mulder's torso, tryi ng to read the damage. A sharp intake of breath and a tightening of his jaw alerted her to the damaged ribs, and, as she reached around him, wanting to assess the extent of the injury to his hands, he jerked back, in obvious pain. 'Noooo..." he exhaled slowly, 'I doubt it, Scully, you're gonna have to handle this one on your own," he tried to smile at her, but was soon doubled over with a coughing fit, which he tried desperately to keep silent. Upon recovering, he remembered a ver y important fact that not only his partner, but their captors as well, had overlooked. Mulder looked up at Scully, and catching her eye, directed her gaze towards his feet. Scully was puzzled for a moment and then, in a rush of hope, almost laughed out loud. She stealthily reached out her hand and felt the reassuring shape of the pistol in Mulder's ankle holster, where it had been missed in the earlier pat-down. Slipping t he gun out of the sheath, she hid it in the darkness between their bodies and surveyed the situation. Ponytail and the other terrorists were still on the phone with Skinner and she doubted that she could take them all out with the pistol before one of them could bring his automatic to bear. Then she noticed the tiny hole in the wall where the video feed transmitting their images to the team in the hallway. She looked directly at the minuscule camera, and raised her hands slightly, so that the gun would be visible. -------------------------------------- 'Sir! Look at this!" one of the Team called to Skinner, urgently trying to get his attention. Skinner motioned for the other man to be silent and then noticed the image on the screen the agent was holding. An image of Agent Scully, holding Mulder's ank le pistol, and looking directly at the screen. Skinner made a quick decision and hoped that Scully knew what she was doing. He covered the receiver of the phone and barked rapid-fire orders, 'Be prepared to go in on my count. Target the terrorists immediately upon entering! I don't want anyone els e hurt!" The Assistant Director watched the screen closely, waiting for a cue from Scully that she was ready for action. ---------------------------------------- Scully wrapped her hands around the small pistol and shifted her body to give herself a clear shot at the leader. She whispered to Mulder to keep his head down and tried not to think about the consequences of a missed shot. Scully raised her eyes to the video camera and mouthed the word, 'go" hoping and praying that Skinner was watching her. She raised the gun and squeezed off two quick shots, catching Ponytail in the neck and the shoulder. Scully immediately retrained the gun on Baldy, just as the door to the room exploded inward. Skinner emptied his clip into Earless' torso, just as he wa s training his automatic on Mulder. Earless' shot missed and he slumped to the ground, dead. As the entire team brought weapons to bear on Baldy, Mulder shouted hoarsely, with all the volume he could muster, 'No! Leave him alive!" and then immediately began gagging and retching from the pain of his broken ribs and shattered hands. Everyone turned to stare at the Agent on the floor, knowing he was in excruciating pain. Scully was kneeling at his side in an instant, 'It's OK now, Mulder, we're safe," she said, running her hand gently through his hair, soothing him with her presence. 'I want him alive, Scully. I have to find out exactly what they did to me." 'Relax, Agent," came the paternal voice of AD Skinner, 'He'll be answering questions for a very long time." Mulder slumped back on the floor, and, just as he was losing consciousness, looked up at his partner and smiled. They had made it, again. -------------------------------------- Washington Memorial Hospital Saturday, 10:13am Scully walked into the hospital room and looked fondly at her partner. She could see the casts around his mutilated hands and knew that his ribs were tightly bandaged as well. Still, she knew that he was going to be all right and, for now, that was all that mattered. 'Good morning G-Man," she said cheerfully, while opening the shade to let in the sunlight, 'How're you feeling?" 'Like I wrestled Bigfoot and lost," he grinned at her and then turned serious, 'Are you OK, Scully? I couldn't get anyone to tell me what had happened, and if you were all right. I couldn't remember..." 'I'm fine, Mulder, a few bumps and bruises, nothing serious." 'And the hostages?" 'Wanda Rodriguez and Karin Napier, the two women who were shot, are in serious but stable condition. The doctors seem to think they'll pull through. The rest escaped without injury," she said softly, laying her hands over his bandaged ones for a moment. Then, noticing that the painkillers were starting to affect him, and that he was fading back into sleep, she stroked his cheek softly and said, 'I'll be right here when you wake up." With a tiny smile Mulder stopped fighting the narcotics and allowed himself to drift off . Scully pulled a chair close to his bedside, and settled in to wait. ------------------------------------------ FBI Safe House Location Unknown 6:47pm The setting sun illuminated the figure of a man with thinning blond hair, swinging slowly from the rafters of the house. END